* Block Club…

There is no evidence a group of migrants took over a Washington Park apartment complex Monday, a false claim that went viral on social media and was amplified by Elon Musk.

A 911 call was made Monday night, saying there were “32 Venezuelans” trespassing in a building on the 6100 block of King Drive, “showing guns in the courtyard” and packing the courtyard and stairwells, according to scanner audio archived by crimeisdown.com.

Chicago police spokesperson Peggy Benz on Tuesday confirmed officers responded to a call for service to the building, but officers found nothing matching the report at the scene did not generate a police report for the incident. […]

A clip of the police dispatch radio relaying the 911 call was spread by major social media accounts including Libs of TikTok, an infamous right wing account known for targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community. The account’s tweet on the migrant takeover has over 9 million views.

Musk — who owns the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter — reposted the audio along with exclamation points. The unverified claim was trending on X, making the platform’s “explore” page with the caption “Venezuelan Group Overruns Chicago Apartment.”

* WGN…

llinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias on Tuesday launched a new program in partnership with the state’s Board of Education that aims to get more young people signed up as organ and tissue donors.

Under the new LEAD program, which stands for Lifesaving Education and Awareness on Donation, high school students who receive training and tout the message of donation will receive 20 hours of community service credits to be used on college or trade school applications. […]

His office says about 4,000 people across the state are currently waiting for a transplant. One donor may save up to 25 lives.

Giannoulias said he believes the LEAD program is the first-of-its-kind in the nation.

*** Chicago ***

* WTTW | Federal Judge Who Ruled Ald. Gardiner Violated First Amendment Admonishes Him for Approaching Her: U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman said she was attending the June funeral of U.S. District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber with the other judges who worked alongside the renowned jurist at the Dirksen courthouse when Gardiner approached her. […] Johnson Coleman told Gardiner’s attorney, Brian Wilson of Nathan & Kamionski LLP, to tell the alderperson that his behavior was inappropriate. Wilson agreed to do so.

* Crain’s | NAR says it will take fight with DOJ to Supreme Court: The National Association of Realtors plans to ask the Supreme Court to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice from restarting an investigation into the Chicago-based trade group’s practices around commissions. The move adds more uncertainty to the question of when the process of homebuying will start evolving toward a new standard practice for getting buyers’ agents paid for the work they do in a deal. NAR intends to petition the Supreme Court by Oct. 10, it said in an Aug. 29 court filing.

* WTTW | Chicago’s Top Cop Says Department’s Handling of DNC Protests Show ‘Transformation’; Reform Advocates Say Celebration is ‘Premature’: Just eight complaints of police misconduct were filed with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability between Aug. 18-22, records show. By comparison, there were 591 misconduct complaints filed between May 29, 2020, and June 11, 2020, the height of the protests after Floyd’s murder. […] “Some of our worst fears did not come to pass” during the DNC, said Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System and Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois, which forced CPD to revise its mass arrest policy. “What remains to be seen is what does CPD do when the glare of the national and international media spotlight isn’t on them, in the same way it was during the DNC.”

* Sun-Times | White Sox DFA Touki Toussaint, recall Matt Foster: The White Sox are designating right-hander Touki Toussaint for assignment and replacing him on the active roster with righty Matt Foster, the team announced Tuesday. Foster has appeared in two games for the Sox this season, allowing no runs over three innings. He will be available when the Sox play the Orioles Tuesday night at Camden Yards. Toussaint (7.43 ERA this season) allowed 19 earned runs on 35 hits and 18 walks over 23 innings covering 11 relief appearances in 2024. In the Sox’ 13-3 loss to the Orioles Monday, the team’s 11th defeat in a row, he gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.

* Block Club | Meg And The Wheelers’ Unique Brand Of Honky-Tonk Sounds Right At Home In Chicago: Cue the rhinestones, cowboy boots and pearl button western wear — Meg and the Wheelers are taking the stage. The band is part of the lineup at the free Block Club Block Party noon-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the McCormick YMCA, 1834 N. Lawndale Ave. They are scheduled to play at 6 p.m.

*** Cook County and Suburbs ***

* ABC Chicago | ComEd gives Village of Skokie $45K for electrical vehicle project: The funds are meant to help the village fund its project to electrify its municipal fleet. The village is working to buy all-electric models for the public works, police and fire departments.

* Tribune | Evanston adjusts liquor license for Northwestern football game schedules that are TBD: Because the Martin Stadium seats only 12,000 people, Northwestern is providing space for tailgating and watching the game on TV screens for 3,000 more people in a lakeside area just south of the temporary stadium, said Eliza Larson, a spokeswoman for the university. “Because the temporary stadium is so small and has limited seating, it’s far less than the real Ryan Field,” Ware said. “They knew they would not be able to get everyone who wanted to attend into the game.”

* Crain’s | In Ravinia v. Ravinia, both sides bury the hatchet — and the brewery name: Ravinia Brewing Company and Ravinia Festival reached a settlement agreement nearly a year after the festival sued the beer maker with allegations of trademark infringement. The brewing company will roll out a new name and new brand, according to a joint statement from the two parties. The festival will be “providing assistance during the transition,” the statement said.

* Aurora Beacon-News | Aurora Public Library turns ‘things up about 10 notches’ for Comic and Pop Culture Extravaganza: Allison Lanthrum, events and program coordinator for the library, said she has overseen three of the five yearly Comic and Pop Culture Extravaganzas which “began during the pandemic when it was completely virtual.” […] Some of Saturday’s highlights, Lanthrum said, included a professional “foam-smith” named Maker Fishmeal “who is carving giant blocks of foam into oversized props and set pieces.”

* Tribune | Hinsdale Little League program continues to be most successful at state level: A recent trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was a first for the Hinsdale Little League in a tournament that included 10 U.S. teams and the same number of international teams with players aged 12 and under. The Hinsdale boys were eliminated with losses in their first two games. However, on a local level, the Hinsdale Little League has easily been the most successful in Illinois. And on a more local level, Hinsdale has been dominant. Since claiming its first state title in 2017, Hinsdale has added three additional Illinois championships: in 2021, 2022 and 2024.

*** Downstate ***

* Capitol City Now | Massey Commission to hold first listening session: The commission that was formed in response to the murder of Sonya Massey in July will hold its first listening session this month. The goal of the session, according to a press release issued Tuesday by Sangamon County, is to understand the public’s hopes and concerns before finalizing its formal mission and goals.

* WCIA | Decatur Police investigating after bronze Lincoln head found at City Hall: The Decatur Police Department is investigating after a bronze head of Abraham Lincoln, believed to be from a bust or statue, was found outside Decatur City Hall. Police are considering this to be an act of criminal damage. […] Decatur Police have yet to locate Lincoln’s body or identify the person who dropped the head off.

* Southland Journal | Rep. Rita Joins State, Local Officials to Celebrate Opening of Rockford Casino: Rep. Rita, D-Blue Island, joined state and local officials Thursday, Aug. 29, in Rockford for the debut of the $300 million Hard Rock Casino Rockford. It is one of six casinos fueling economic activity and job growth in communities across Illinois, as part of a legislative package pushed through the Legislature by Rep. Rita in 2019. The new 175,000-square-foot casino features nearly 1,300 slot machines, 50 live table games including poker, a sportsbook, and a 1,600 seat Hard Rock Live entertainment venue drawing major musical artists. Players can enjoy several dining options in the casino and dozens of music memorabilia items are on display including guitars owned by Rockford native and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen.

* WCIA | Hoopeston celebrates 80th annual National Sweetcorn Festival: For eight decades, Hoopeston has been adding their own twist to the holiday of Labor Day. On Monday, residents celebrated the 80th Annual National Sweetcorn Festival. Each year, nearly 50,000 ears of corn gets cooked for the community, with people coming from all over to have a good time and try some of the ears of sweetcorn.

*** National ***

* NYT | From School Librarian to Activist: ‘The Hate Level and the Vitriol Is Unreal’: One Sunday morning two years ago, Amanda Jones, a middle school librarian in Watson, La., woke up and saw an email on her phone that left her shaking and breathless. The expletive-laced message from a stranger accused her of being a pedophile and a groomer, and concluded with a threat: “You can’t hide. We know where you work + live. You have a LARGE target on your back,” it said. “Click … Click … see you soon!” It was part of a deluge of online threats and harassment that Jones has faced since the summer of 2022, when she was one of around 20 people to speak out against book banning during a July meeting at her local public library.